How to Clean 6 Common Holiday Stains and Messes

During the Holiday season, there’s bound to be a few spills and messes. Whether that’s from kids, clumsiness or tripping over decorations… We have some clean up tips for all kinds of festive stains like chocolate, gravy, cranberry sauce, red wine, candle wax, and tree sap.

Chocolate

What you need: 

• Plastic bag
• Butterknife
• Ice cubes
• Toothpaste (not whitening)
• Tide® Rescue (optional)
• Powdered Tide®

Directions:

• (If chocolate is melted) Place your item in a plastic bag and place in the freezer until the chocolate hardens, or rest a bag of ice on the chocolate to harden it. 
• Scrape off as much chocolate as you can with a butterknife.
• Apply a bit of toothpaste; scrubbing it into the stain. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
• Rinse the fabric and repeat the previous step if needed.
• If staining remains, treat the spot with a paste of powdered Tide® and water or Tide® Rescue. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Rinse. 
• Wash in your machine using powdered Tide® (if possible). 
• Check to see if the stain is still there and if it is, repeat the previous step before drying.

Gravy or Cranberry Sauce

What you need:

• Dawn® Dish Soap
• Powdered Tide®

Directions:

• Pour blue Dawn® dish soap directly on the stains. 
• Gently dab the Dawn into the stain. Let it sit for 1 hour or up to 24 hours for cranberry sauce.
• Rinse completely.
• Wash in your machine using powdered Tide® (if possible), or dab the stain with a mixture of Tide® and water using a cloth. Rinse. 
• Check to see if the stain is still there and if it is, repeat the previous steps before drying.

Red Wine

Clothing/Textiles

What you need:

• OxiClean®
• Powdered Tide®

Directions:

• Rinse the stain with warm water to remove any excess wine.
• Soak in the sink overnight with 1 scoop of OxiClean® or Tide® and hot water.
• Wash on a hot water cycle with powdered Tide® and a scoop of OxiClean®.
• Check to see if the stain is still there and if it is, repeat the previous steps before drying.

Carpet/Furniture

What you need:

• A cloth
• Powdered Tide®

Directions:

• Blot the stain with a towel, a cloth, or paper towel.
• Mix 1 tsp of powdered Tide® in 1 cup of warm water.
• Wet a cloth in the mixture and dab the stain. (You can pour a small amount of the mixture onto the stain and dab it as well).

• If the stain has been there for several days or more: 
  • Spray water on it and then hydrogen peroxide. 
  • Place a damp white cloth over the stain and place a hot iron on top of the cloth. Let it sit for 20-30 seconds, checking often.  (Note: All irons are different. Use caution and be careful not to burn or melt the fibers of your item.)
  • Repeat the previous step until the stain lifts.

Candle Wax

What you need:

• Butterknife
• Iron
• Cloths or paper bags
• Tide® Rescue
• Powdered Tide®

Directions:

• Scrape off as much wax as you can once it’s solidified.
• Place a wet cloth or paper bag over the wax spill.
• Iron directly over the cloth or bag, at the right heat setting for that fabric.
• Continue to move the iron around and shift the cloth, or bag, so it will continue to soak up the wax.
• Once it looks like it is only a grease stain, treat with Tide® Rescue, or a paste of powdered Tide® and water. Rinse. 
• Wash with powdered Tide® in the washing machine (if possible). 
• Check to see if the stain is still there and if it is, repeat the previous steps before drying.

Tree Sap

Textiles/Furniture/Carpet/etc.

What you need:

• Plastic bag
• Butterknife
• Ice cubes
• Tide® Rescue
• A Cloth
• Powdered Tide®

Directions:

• Place the item into a plastic bag in the freezer until the sap freezes, or place a bag of ice on the sap until it hardens.
• Scrape off the sap with a butterknife. Sometimes that’s all you need to do, BUT if there’s still some sap, continue to the next steps.
• Treat with Tide® Rescue, or a paste of powdered Tide® and water. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Rinse.
• Wash on the hottest cycle possible for the fabric using powdered Tide® (if possible). 
• Check to see if the stain is still there and if it is, repeat the previous steps before drying.

Skin

What you need:

• Rubbing alcohol/hand sanitizer, OR 
• A food-grade oil

Directions:

• Rub hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, or a food-grade oil (like olive oil, coconut oil, or butter) onto the sappy skin.
• Wash with soap and water afterwards.

For more help with stubborn stains see our stains and fabric care section on the blog. And for easy (and pretty!) stain and laundry reference, check out our Laundry Symbol + Stain Guide to print and hang on your laundry room wall. 

Go forth and be merry and cheerful this holiday season with no fear of the stains to come.